2015 Adoptee Citizenship Act

We at PEAR fully support the 2015 Adoptee Citizenship Act (S.2275). This Act is a critically needed piece of legislation pertaining to the lives of thousands of adults who were brought to the US for adoption as children, were never fully naturalized as citizens by their adoptive parents, and then fell through the cracks of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. These adults now face risk of deportation and cannot fully participate as citizens in U.S. society: they cannot vote or obtain passports, and often face difficulties in opening bank accounts, securing financial aid, obtaining a driver's license, joining the military, obtaining marriage licenses, and finding jobs. The 2015 Adoptee Citizenship Act closes the loophole created in the Child Citzenship Act of 2000, which failed to include those over age 18 at the time the Act came into effect when granting automatic citizenship. While the Act does not resolve all citizenship loopholes for internationally adopted adults, it is a major step forward in equality and justice for many.

As always, PEAR suggests that individuals exercise caution and restraint in making decisions and taking any action in support or opposition to any legislation until they have fully educated themselves on the purpose and impact of it. We recommend that you read the actual bill, the current laws it will change, and the opinions of a variety of commentators, both for and against any legislation.

The Adoptee Citizenship Act can be found here:https://www.congress.gov/.../114th-congress/senate-bill/2275. If you would like to contact your legislators to express your support for or opposition to this bill, you can look them up here:https://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup

Comments from other organizations and individuals concerning the above legislation can be read at the following websites and blogs:
http://lgamedia.com/?p=133138
http://cascw.umn.edu/.../the-adoptee-citizenship-act.../
http://armyofone.me/.../call-congress-s2275-adoptee.../
http://action.18mr.org/aca-2015/
http://kevinhvollmers.com/.../call-your-senators-the...
http://lightofdaystories.com/2015/12/
https://redthreadbroken.wordpress.com/.../adoptee.../
http://reappropriate.co/.../landmark-bill-introduced-to.../

http://www.thelostdaughters.com/.../take-stand-against...

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

PEAR Advisory Alert for DRC

On June 2, 2015, the Department of State issued a new alert which supersedes the alert of October 6, 2014.  This newest alert strongly recommends against adopting from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (“DRC”) at this time.  This warning is separate from any potential ending of the current suspension on the issuance of exit letters. The Department of State noted that pending legislative changes could invalidate or suspend any future adoption decrees.   http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/DRC15-06-02.html

On December 29, 2012, PEAR issued a Cautionary Statement strongly recommending against adopting from DRC (http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2012/12/pear-ethics-alert-and-cautionary.html).  The reasons behind PEAR's recommendation included: 

1. Lack of proper infrastructure to support ethical adoption practices and thwart unethical, illegal processes

2. Reports of extensive bribes paid to local officials by US adoption agencies and/or their local facilitators

3. Reports that orphanages are not using the money donated by agencies and adopting parents for the care of children

4.  Repeated reports from foreign NGOs and adopting families of child laundering, baby selling, kidnapping, and coercive relinquishment practices called “harvesting”

5.  Program growing too quickly without being tested for stability and capacity

6.  Inconsistent and inexplicable fees

PEAR continues to stand behind this statement, as the past two and a half years has only seen an increase in the corruption and unethical behavior that prompted the statement in the end of 2012.

In addition, PEAR alerted adoptive parents (“APs”) of a failed attempt by American families to take their adopted Congolese children out of DRC without authorization by the Congolese government in September 2014 (http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2014/09/american-families-caught-attempting.html).  Since this time, PEAR has received reports of increased smuggling of adopted children by U.S. citizens out of DRC.  PEAR strongly opposes such actions and reminds all APs that U.S. citizens adopting from foreign countries are required to obey the laws and regulations of the sending countries. 

In a November 2014 alert, the Department of State specifically addressed the question of whether there was a method by which Americans could bring their adopted children to the U.S. other than with an exit letter obtained from Congolese immigration authorities (DGM) in Kinshasa.  Their response was unequivocal:  "No. Congolese law requires you to obtain an exit permit for your child. Once your I-600 has been approved and an orphan review is complete, the U.S. Embassy will schedule your visa interview. Please be advised that once you have a U.S. visa for your adopted child, you still must obtain an exit permit for your child to leave the DRC. We want to be clear that any attempts to leave DRC with your child without an exit permit could violate local law and significantly jeopardize the status of pending and future adoption cases between DRC and the United States. We understand the hardship for you and your children as the suspension period remains undefined. We believe that this current uncertainty could make adoptive families more vulnerable to solicitations by individuals or organizations offering inappropriate or illegal means of assistance. If you are approached with offers to help bring your children home that do not include obtaining exit permits by the appropriate DGM office in Kinshasa, we strongly recommend that you inform the U.S. Embassy and ask for clarity on the legality of the proposal before taking any action." (http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/DRC14-11-03.html) 

Despite this clearly-worded statement, American families continue to either take or have their adopted children taken out of DRC without exit letters issued by DGM Kinshasa. This may include the use of bribes, fraudulent paperwork, and/or illegally moving children across international borders.  These actions are in violation of Congolese law and/or policy (http://www.dgm.cd/infos.php), and are plainly contrary to the goal of ethical adoptions.  PEAR strongly condemns the removal of adopted children from Congo in violation of the exit letter suspension.

For further information, please see: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices.democratic%20republic%20of%20the%20congo.html

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Alert: Faith International Adoption Accreditation Suspended

On January 6, 2015, the Council on Accreditation (COA) suspended the accreditation of Faith International Adoptions for a minimum of 15 days and until appropriate corrective action has taken place. COA is the Department of State’s designated accrediting entity for adoption service providers under the Hague Adoption Convention (Convention), the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 and the Intercountry Universal Accreditation Act (UAA).  The suspension is due to COA’s finding that Faith International Adoptions failed to maintain substantial compliance with the accreditation standards at 22 Code of Federal Regulations Part 96 Subpart F. For more information regarding this suspension please refer to information on substantiated complaints and adverse actions on the Council on Accreditation’s website. 

As a result of this suspension, Faith International Adoptions must cease to provide all adoption services in connection with intercountry adoption cases for the period of suspension and until corrective action has been taken.  Please note that this suspension affects Faith International Adoptions ability to provide adoption services in both Convention cases and non-Convention cases subject to the UAA. Faith International Adoptions has adoption programs in Ghana, China, India, and Japan, and has provided adoption services in a number of other countries in which it does not have an established program. Persons with an open case with Faith International Adoptions should contact the adoption service provider directly to find out how the suspension will affect their adoption services.  

The suspension will begin on January 6, 2015, and will last for at least 15 days. In order for the suspension to be lifted at the end of the 15 days, Faith International Adoptions must complete corrective action required by the accrediting entity. Updated information will be provided here on adoption.state.gov.

http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/about-us/newsroom/Faith-International-Adoption-Accreditation-Suspended.html

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Notice : China : Changes to Requirements

The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) recently announced changes to their intercountry adoption procedures.  The changes that apply to prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) in China fall into three broad categories:  1) the eligibility requirements for PAPs, 2) post-placement requirements, and 3) China’s fees for intercountry adoption. These changes are effective January 1, 2015.

1.  Changes to the PAP eligibility requirements:
   a.    The CCCWA will now allow couples in which the individuals are over 50 years of age to adopt a child. The age difference between the child and the younger spouse, however, should be no more than 50 years. Single females must be no more than 45 years older than the child they wish to adopt. Additionally, single females are now permitted to adopt non-special needs children.
   b.    The CCCWA has identified additional medical conditions that would make a PAP ineligible to adopt, including being HIV-positive. For additional information on conditions that would make a PAP ineligible to adopt, please see the section, Who Can Adopt, in our Country Information Sheet for China. The CCCWA also added multiple sclerosis to the list of severe diseases that require long-term treatment and that may affect life expectancy. However, CCCWA indicated that if one of the parents is healthy, and the other parent’s medical condition is manageable with treatment, it will consider an exemption to that ineligibility. Given the complexity of these issues, the Department of State advises all PAPs to seek guidance directly from the CCCWA regarding the changes to the medical ineligibilities for PAPs. Contact information for CCCWA may be found on the last page of our Country Information Sheet for China.
   c.    The CCCWA also provided clarification on income requirements. China still requires that an adopting family's annual income equal at least $10,000 for each family member in the household (including the child to be adopted). CCCWA indicates, however, that this requirement may be relaxed where a family’s annual income is less than $10,000 per family member, but is above the average local living standards of the jurisdiction of residence, and the PAPs can provide valid certification to that effect. The CCCWA also requires PAPs to receive pre-adoption training from their U.S. accredited adoption service provider.
   d.    Adopting couples are no longer restricted to having fewer than five children under the age of 18 living in their home.
2. Changes to post-placement requirements:
   a.    For cases issued a Notice of Coming to China for Adoption after January 1, 2015, CCCWA requires PAPs to submit post placement reports six months, one year, two years, three years, four years, and five years after the adoption registration. 
   b.    The first three reports must be prepared by the social workers who prepared the home study. The last three reports may be written by the families themselves. 
3. Changes to adoption fees charged by CCCWA
   a.    Adoption applications are now $1,110.  The fee to adopt a step-child is $800 per application.

This information will be incorporated into our Country Information regarding China. The Department of State advises PAPs and ASPs to contact the CCCWA directly regarding the potential impacts of these changes to each PAPs specific situation.  For any further information, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues by telephone at 1-888-407-4747 (toll free) or 202-501-4444 (from overseas) or by e-mail at AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/china14-12-34.html

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Alert: The Department of State Strongly Recommends Against Adopting from the DRC at this time

In light of the DRC’s September 26, 2014 announcement that its exit permit suspension for adopted children remains in effect indefinitely, the Department of State has asked all adoption agencies to cease referring new DRC adoption cases for U.S. prospective adoptive parents at this time. The Department of State strongly recommends against initiating an adoption in the DRC at this time, as adoptive children cannot leave the DRC without an exit permit issued by the DRC’s Directorate of General Migration, even with a finalized adoption.  Congolese courts continue to issue adoption decrees under existing Congolese law, despite the exit permit suspension.

We continue to press the DRC government on lifting the suspension so that Congolese children with finalized adoptions waiting for an exit permit can join their adoptive families as soon as possible.We are committed to working with the DRC government to address their concerns and continue to advocate for opportunities to engage on long-term adoption reforms in the DRC. 

http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/DRC14-10-06.html

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

USDOS Office of Children’s Issues Announces New Chief of the Adoption Division

Welcome Trish Maskew, New Chief of the Adoption Division

September 24, 2014

The Office of Children’s Issues is pleased to announce the appointment of Trish Maskew as the new Chief of the Adoption Division. 

Trish joins the Department of State from the Department of Justice where she worked in the Civil Division for almost six years.  Before joining the U.S. government, she held several positions in the intercountry adoption field: as a program coordinator for an adoption agency; a board member and interim administrator for the Joint Council on International Children’s Services; the founder and President of Ethica, a non-profit organization dedicated to ethical and transparent adoptions; and as an expert consultant to the Hague Conference on Private International Law.  She is the author of “Our Own: Adopting and Parenting the Older Child” and numerous articles on adoption ethics and practice.  She earned her J.D. from American University.

http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/about-us/newsroom/Welcome_new_adoption_chief_TrishMaskew.html

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

American Families Caught Attempting Illegal DRC Exit

According to reports from the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC"), officials intercepted an attempt by three American adoptive families to remove their children from Congo without proper authorization (http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2014/09/14/trafic-denfants-la-dgm-demantele-un-reseau-dirige-par-un-citoyen-americain/).  This news story has been reported as "child selling" or trafficking by DRC news outlets (http://youtu.be/Ym4kecKFvIM).  PEAR understands that the three families in question had legally adopted the seven affected children according to DRC regulations, that they had US visas, and that they were attempting to take the children from the country without the permission of the Congolese government in the form of the mandatory exit letter from Congolese immigration (known by its acronym "DGM").  The seven children are all believed to be in the custody of the Congolese government; the American adoptive parents had all left the country prior to the police operation.  Congolese news has reported that one American, M. Jessy Samuel, was implicated in the scheme.

In September 2013, the Congolese government announced a one-year suspension on the issuance of exit permits.(http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/DRC9-27-13.html).  In April 2014, the US Embassy stated that the Congolese government was aware that at least five American adoptive families had taken their children out of the country without exit permits (http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/DRC4-28-14.html).  We have been informed that many more than five adoptive families have taken their adopted children from Congo without the proper authorization during the suspension, which may have happened with agency complicity and/or through the payment of bribes. In the present case, it is not believed that any adoption agencies were involved in the attempted illegal exit. 

Given that the Congolese government has officially stated that no exit letters will be issued until such time as the suspension is lifted, PEAR does not believe that the United States Embassy in Kinshasa should be issuing any entry visas, as this deliberately contravenes current DRC policy and puts prospective parents in the difficult position of having children that are “legally” adopted in DRC and permitted to enter the U.S., but are unable to leave the country under until such time as the suspension is lifted.  

As such, PEAR calls on the US Embassy in Kinshasa to immediately cease the issuance of entry visas until such time as the suspension is lifted.  Continuing to issue visas during the suspension will only encourage adoptive parents to attempt to circumvent Congolese laws to remove their adopted children from the country.  

We also call on members of the adoption lobby, DRC prospective parents, adoption bloggers, and adoption agencies to be truthful in their knowledge of the issued exit letters, of any “underground” routes that may have been used to illegally remove adoptees from DRC, and to advocate for a fully transparent and legitimate adoption process. We would also remind all adoptive parents with legally adopted children in DRC of the risks of attempting an illegal exit from DRC, and that a valid exit letter from DGM in Kinshasa is required in order for your children to legally exit Congo.

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Announces End to Exit Permit Exceptions Until New Law is Promulgated

On July 10, Ambassador James Swan met with Director General Beya of the Congolese General Direction of Migration (DGM) to seek clarification on the DGM’s decision to no longer issue exit permits to any adopted Congolese children until a new adoption law is promulgated. DGM Beya stated that his office will not accept any cases for consideration in the interim, even those involving children with medical conditions or those cases that met the DGM’s October 2013 exception criteria.

During the meeting, the DGM stressed that it considers no intercountry adoptions from the DRC to be completely free of fraud. The DGM said it believes all the bordereaux letters it recently reviewed to be falsified or back-dated and therefore invalid for purposes of seeking an exit permit.

Over the July 4 weekend, the Second Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, raised the exit permit suspension and all the pending cases with Congolese parliamentarians and the Minister of Gender and Family, all of whom emphasized their concerns about problems in the adoption process. The parliamentarians further cautioned that they consider many Congolese judges to be corrupt and that few government officials have confidence in completed adoptions.

The Department of State deeply regrets that families are once again forced to wait indefinitely for exit permits. On July 3, the DGM accepted 8 medical cases from the U.S. Embassy for humanitarian consideration;of which four received exit permits. However, at that meeting, the DGM refused to accept 29 grandfathered cases received from adoptive families in response to our June 13 Adoption Alert.

The Department of State will continue to engage the DRC government on ways we can address its concerns about intercountry adoptions. Our offers to provide technical expertise, and to bring a delegation of Congolese officials to the United States, remain on the table and will be reiterated at every opportunity. We will also continue to strongly emphasize our message that all children whose adoptions were completed in Congolese courts should be allowed to obtain exit permits and join their adoptive families in the United States.

Please direct questions related to this alert or a specific adoption from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to ExitPermitSuspensionDRC@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=democratic_republic_of_congo_10

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Alert: Haiti announces re-registration period for Adoption Service Providers

The Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherche (IBESR), Haiti’s central adoption authority, recently announced updated information related to its Hague Adoption Convention intercountry adoption procedures. The announcement is available, in French, on IBESR’s website. Among other clarifications, IBESR announced that the registration period for re-authorization of international adoption service providers will be from July 14, 2014 until August 14, 2014. The list of supporting documents required is available on IBESR’s website in French. For more information on intercountry adoptions in Haiti you may contact adoptionUSCA@state.gov, or contact IBESR directly at adoptionibesr@gmail.com.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=haiti_6

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Riverkids Project - The beautiful lies that broke my heart

I read Somaly Mam’s book cover to cover in a bookstore, holding myself utterly still so I wouldn’t start crying, drowning in the images of violence and suffering she wrote about.

It was that cover picture, a Cambodian woman who had been through hell and survived. That gave me hope when I was the desperately confused new mother to children from Cambodia who had been bought and sold by traffickers, hurt in ways that I could barely comprehend, and deep in grief over all they had lost before coming to these new strangers in Singapore.

We watched and read Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple, and something in that story unlocked the first secrets. I told them with stumbling simple Khmer about how I had been hit as a little girl over and over, and promised I would never hit them. Stories, both mine and those we found from other survivors and in novels, helped my children find a way out of their painful pasts.

Stories mattered deeply.

When the Newsweek report broke, I wasn’t surprised. There had been rumours, and I had met donors and journalists who wanted a wonderful saviour story and weren’t interested in the reality of trafficking in Cambodia.

I’m not even angry now, only terribly sad. The pressure to package the right story is immense when you have to raise funds. I have nightmares about running out of funds, about how to decide which program to close – the new kindergarten class or the medical clinic?

If a restaurant closes, a few staff lose their jobs and people have to eat somewhere else. If Riverkids closes, hundreds of children go hungry, drop out of school and have nowhere safe to find shelter or get help. And there is no-one else stepping in.

Compared to that, why not put together a great heartbreaking story? Piece it together from the real stories, where the kids are too traumatised to talk, and get someone photogenic and poised with a happy ever after ending. That’s kinder than what I’ve seen, where a child is forced to talk over and over about their pain to raise funds, selling a little of their soul each time.

But it’s a lie. A beautiful lie.

And in the end, beautiful lies cover up uglier truths. The truth about trafficking in Cambodia is ugly.

Most of the people buying sex are Cambodian, but sex-tourists bring in the money. Boys are sexually assaulted almost as often as girls but they have far fewer people helping them. Parents sell their children because of gambling debts and medical debts. Being sold as a domestic slave can be worse than working in a sex bar.

Trafficking and abuse in Cambodia has become an image of a young girl locked in a cage in a secret brothel, waiting for a hero to burst through the doors and rescue her. Or at least donate to do that.

The truth about trafficking is a teenage girl being inspected by a doctor for her virginity because she’s agreed to sleep with a rich businessman for three nights to pay off her family’s crushing hospital bills. It’s the newborn baby being sold for adoption to a family so there’s money to feed the other children. It’s the boy who falls asleep in class because he’s been collecting recyclable trash before dawn to pay the ‘fees’ the teacher demands. It’s the battered wife who looks away when her new husband gets drunk and calls her daughter to come closer.

There are no easy solutions. There’s no hero who can stage a raid and swooping in to save girls from having their eyes gouged out by brutal pimps, set them up as hairdressers and inspiring role models and smile for the cameras.

There are instead thousands of people in Cambodia working together to train teachers, get clean water, nurse sick babies, create better jobs, all the steps that weave together to build families and communities closer and healthier. People who are ignored because they don’t have a beautiful lie.

The beautiful lies grab all the loving compassion and generous support that good people are moved to give to children in Cambodia and send it to the least effective ways to help them.

That’s what makes me really angry. That so much could have been done, and so little was. That children who really needed help got forgotten because they weren’t the right kind of trafficked and abused.

Stories saved my family and me. Keeping them true will save so many more children.

- Dale Edmonds

P.S. A few years ago, we produced a book called Eight Stories about what we do at Riverkids. With the permission of eight families, we included their true stories about trafficking in Cambodia. We changed people’s names to protect their privacy but we did not “improve” stories to make them more effective. The printed book is US$45 but if you are interested in reading about what we do, just hit reply and I’ll send you the PDF, and you can share it too.

–

Download pdf copy of Eight Stories here

http://www.riverkidsproject.org/2014/06/24/the-beautiful-lies-that-broke-my-heart/

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Alert: Benin Announces Temporary Suspension of Intercountry Adoption Applications

Benin informed the State Department that, as of May 22, it has temporarily suspended acceptance of new applications for intercountry adoptions as the Benin government prepares to implement the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention). The suspension applies to both plenary and simple adoptions of Beninese children.  

The U.S. Embassy is in communication with the Benin government concerning transition cases; the government will decide how to proceed on a case-by-case basis.

On February 26, 2014, the National Assembly passed a bill authorizing Benin to become a party to the Convention. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced plans are in process to deposit its instrument of accession but has not provided a timeline.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=benin_1

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DoS: Invitation to follow-up Conference Call regarding the Exit Permit Suspension in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The Department of State invites adoptive families and prospective adoptive families to participate in a conference call Tuesday, June 11 from 10am-11:30am EST to address families’ concerns regarding the DRC exit permit suspension.  

The call is being held in response to families’ requests for additional time following our May 16 call.  We will also address what we have learned to date regarding the latest developments reported in our May 27 adoption notice.  There will be brief remarks regarding developments followed by a question and answer period.

If you would like to send your questions ahead of the call, please send them to ExitPermitSuspensionDRC@state.gov.  We will try to address as many questions on the call as we’re able, but will respond to all questions via email.

Conference Call Information:

Tuesday, June 11, 2014
10:00am EST – 11:30am EST
Calling from the United States: (800) 288-8967
Calling from Overseas: (612) 288-0340

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=democratic_republic_of_congo_14

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo to issue Some Exit Permits; Others Must Wait for New Adoption Laws

On May 26, the Congolese General Direction of Migration (DGM) informed members of the diplomatic corps that it was prepared to issue exit permits to 62 children adopted by foreigners whose cases fully conform to existing Congolese adoption laws. The DGM’s list includes 15 children adopted by U.S. families. The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa will contact those families via email by May 28.

The DGM cautioned that all other children adopted by foreigners will not be issued exit permits until a new law reforming intercountry adoptions enters into force, even if their cases met the DGM’s previous exception criteria (as outlined in the Department of State’s October 23, 2013 Adoption Alert). This new law has not yet been drafted and Congolese authorities are not able to commit to a particular timeframe in which they expect to develop and implement any new law(s).

The Department of State has reiterated our previous offers of technical consultations and will seek clarification from the DGM on this recent decision’s impact on the remaining cases involving children adopted by U.S. families. Congolese authorities have not yet responded to inquiries from the U.S. Embassy regarding adopted children with life-threatening medical conditions.

NOTE:  Revisions to Congolese adoption laws may include retroactive provisions that could affect cases that have already been completed or are in progress. While the courts may continue processing adoptions, the children adopted during the exit permit suspension will not be able to obtain exit permits to depart the country and are not guaranteed to be eligible for exit permits once any new law is promulgated.

Please direct questions related to this alert or a specific adoption from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed toAskCI@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=democratic_republic_of_congo_7

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Notice - Haiti Expedite Fee Fraud

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti has heard reports from a number of prospective adoptive parents regarding certain adoption service providers requests for substantial additional payments.  These adoption service providers are claiming that these fees are charged by the Haitian authorities to expedite the adoption process.  The Embassy has verified with Haiti’s adoption authority, the Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), that the Government of Haiti does not charge expedite fees in association with adoptions in Haiti.   

Likewise, the U.S. government does not charge expedite fees in any visa cases.  All possible immigrant visa fees are published on travel.state.gov.  The Department of State and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Haiti do not charge fees for additional visas services, including any expedite fees.  All visa processing fees are collected on the U.S. Embassy premises at the time of the visa interview. 

If you are applying for a U.S. immigrant visa for an adopted child, do NOT pay any fees at cybercafés, banks, or to anyone outside the U.S. Embassy claiming to act on behalf of the U.S. government.  Prospective adoptive parents who are asked to make payments for expedited visas fees to an adoption service provider should immediately report such behavior toPAPFraud@state.gov.

The U.S. government does not require adoptive parents to travel to Haiti at any point during the adoption process, although the Haitian government may have such requirements.  We also remind prospective adoptive parents that the U.S. government is not involved in the local adoption process. 

Contact information for the U.S. Embassy in Haiti is listed below:

U.S. Embassy in Haiti
Consular Section (Adoptions Unit)
Boulevard du 15 Octobre
Tabarre 41
Tabarre, Haiti
Tel: 509-2229-8000 (within Haiti); 1-866-829-2482 (from the United States)
Email: papadoptions@state.gov
Internet: haiti.usembassy.gov/ 

The Department of State will continue to publish updates on intercountry adoptions in Haiti on adoption.state.gov.  Please direct any questions related to Haitian adoptions to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov, 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=haiti_6

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/